Fish Ball Noodle Soup

Fish ball noodles soup is a healthy, light-tasting and easy one-dish meal. Without having to make my own fish balls, this homely bowl of noodles soup can be whipped up in under 30 minutes, including the home-made ikan bilis broth.

My family commented that it tastes similar to the hawker version (it means yummy!), which I think is due to the fried lard and lard oil I added as topping for the noodles. For a healthier or non-pork version, you can use garlic oil or shallot oil. You can make the ikan bilis stock in advance, or cook it on the day itself as the stock only needs about 10-15 minutes of simmering (prolonged simmering may result in bitter broth).

I personally prefer fish balls bought from the wet market or hawker stalls where they are packed in a bag of water. The wet market fish balls can’t keep for long, best used on the same day. To me, they taste fresher, don’t look abnormally big or taste artificially bouncy, as compared to the supermarket ones. The fish balls I used in this recipe are bought from Bedok North Blk 216 ‘flower’ market, Joo Chiat fish ball noodles stall. In addition to fish balls, you can also add fish cake slices and fish dumplings for more variety.

Fish Ball Noodle Soup Recipe

You can use your favourite noodles in this recipe. For bee hoon (rice vermicelli) (used in this recipe), soak in water for half hour until softened and blanch in boiling water for about a minute. For tang hoon (mung bean vermicelli), soak in water until softened and add it directly to the hot stock. For kway teow, yellow noodles and other fresh local noodles, blanch in boiling water for about a minute. For pasta noodles such as angel hair, cook according to package instructions.

Directions

To make ikan bilis stock, bring 700ml of water and ikan bilis to boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Discard ikan bilis (note: for convenience, use disposable soup pouches to contain the ikan bilis). Season to taste with salt or light soy sauce, if needed.

With the ikan bilis stock simmering in the pot, add fish balls and cook until they float to the surface.